Needs Assessments and Support Plans

Needs Assessments

When you apply to join the housing register, if you feel your current home is unsuitable for you on medical grounds (either in respect of you or a member of your household who will be living with you), then you should complete a Special Needs Assessment Form and return it with your main application.  Once on the waiting list you should let us know if your circumstances change so that amendments to your application can be made if necessary.

Our Medical Advisor looks at Special Housing Needs Assessment Forms once a month.  If it is clear that an applicant's medical circumstances are directly linked to their housing need, then medical priority points can be awarded to their application.  For example, if someone needs ground floor accommodation or special adaptations in their home.

In addition to this, when an applicant is offered a home on one of our supported schemes, the Scheme Manager will undertake a Needs Assessment to make sure this type of home is appropriate for them.

Once the offer letter has been sent to an applicant, we arrange an accompanied viewing for them to look around the property.  This is done with a Tenant Liaison Officer from Mears and the Scheme Manager.  It is at this viewing that the Needs Assessment is carried out.  This is a confidential document, which means that the only people who can have access to the information are the applicant, the Scheme Manager, and the Supported Housing staff on a 'need to know' basis.

If the Needs Assessment shows that the accommodation and service are appropriate, then a final offer will be made.  If not, we will write to the applicant explaining why and offer any further advice as appropriate.

Housing Support Plan

Once a new tenant has moved into a supported scheme property, the Scheme Manager will complete a Support Plan with them.  This supplements the Needs Assessment carried out at the accompanied viewing, and is a more detailed document.  It identifies any existing support that a resident receives, plus other things that they may need help with.  For example, some residents request assistance with shopping or laundry, which the Scheme Manager can help arrange.  The Support Plan also records contact details of next of kin, relatives and any other appropriate agencies (such as the GP).

The Plan is signed by the resident and formally reviewed every six months, though the Scheme Manager is able to review support needs on an ad hoc basis and arrange additional assistance should the need arise.